Broken
by BoarderKC
Summary: Five of the original DigiDestined are hurt and broken. They cannot get their crests to glow. They are forced to America by their parents and Gennai in hopes of regaining their losts traits. Suggestive sexual content, cussing, suicide, drugs, depression.
1. Blinding Light and Dark

A/N: This was a story I did awhile back, but after rereading I decided it was in desperate need of some revamping. So here is the prologue and the first chapter. For all of you who have never read it, please enjoy this and for all my returning friends, I hope this builds on what you loved.

**Broken**

_BoarderKC_

* * *

They had been sent on a quest. Forced one last time to go back. As if they could never be complete without them. They, the originals, the DigiDestined who had pioneered the way, were sent back one more time to find their lost crests. Like they hadn't done enough before, their lives were interrupted and they were pulled back.

They found them with little trouble. There was peace now and they had only met ornery digimon looking for a fight, but it had relatively easy. Tucked away, deep inside a cavern where no light shined, their crests lay upon pedestals of carved stone, necklaces with glowing symbols, awaiting their owners. Eight kids watching the cavern walls with weary expressions; waiting for the trap to be sprung, because retrieving their symbols had never been so easy in their lifetime.

Tai stepped forward first, eternally the leader, the one who went first. He found his crest, Courage, and approached it. The others followed, seven teens separating and taking their places around the circular cavern. Simultaneously eight hands reached for eight crest, Courage, Friendship, Love, Knowledge, Reliability, Sincerity, Hope and Light. Eight hands gripped eight crests. Three figures ignited in light, bathed in a heavenly glow. The other five stared at them, pained and shocked, with the darkness that surrounded them chilling their skin, while the light burned their eyes. The three bathed with the light of their brilliant crests watched them in fear, unsure what to do. Their friends looked lifeless.

The three dropped their crests and the light faded, leaving the cavern in a darkness that hadn't seemed so thick before. No one said a word and the silence was nearly as painful as the dark. No one knew what do to or what to say. Finally, without a word, Tai tucked his crest into his pocket and turned toward the entrance. The others followed.

* * *

A/N: Please review. 


	2. America

A/N: This is the first chapter, just revamped. Please enjoy.

**Broken**

_BoarderKC_

* * *

They were bumped and jostled as they stepped off the plane. People in a hurry, unnoticing of the five teenagers looking lost in the crowds, huddled close together, clutching carry-ons with wide eyes. 

"_Gennai is suppose to meet us here?_" Matt spoke first, standing at Tai's side. He spoke in Japanese with an aggravated tone that caused one or two passer-bys to stare at him. It annoyed him more then he already was.

"_Yeah_," was all Tai replied.

Matt continued, his words fed by frustration and annoyance. "_Why did we have to go to America? Why does Gennai want us here?_"

"_I don't know,_" Tai replied curtly. He searched the crowds with his eyes while his friends stood at his back. "_We were just sent here._"

"_Yeah that's my biggest problem with this. Gennai says jump, we jump. Find your crests, go to America,_" Matt growled. "_And why us? Why not Mimi or Joe or Izzy?"_

"_You think I know!_" Tai demanded, finally turning his eyes from the crowd to the blond that couldn't seem to control his mouth. "_I know as much as you do. Just keep an eye out for Gennai._"

"_How do we know it's really Gennai?_" It was TK that time. "_Couldn't it be Benjamin or Jackie?_"

"_At this point, we know nothing. There he is._" Tai gestured to a middle-aged man in a business suit walking in their direction. It was his younger version, the man who had appeared to them almost Jedi-like a few years back.

"_Hello children,_" he greeted them in their native language. They nodded their response. "_Welcome to America_."

"_Yeah, thanks, Gennai_," Tai replied.

He turned to leave. "_Let's go._"

Tai stepped forward, but gestured for the others not to move. Sora, Matt, Kari and TK remained rooted where they stood. "_Where exactly are we going? You've gotten our families to send us here, but no one really seems to know why. What's going on?_"

He turned to face them again. "_You'll find out soon. Don't worry._" His eyes, soft brown orbs, met each of theirs. "_Let's go._" He turned again and without another word they followed. They grabbed their suitcases and duffle bags from the churning, moving conveyer belt before following Gennai out of the bustling airport and into the parking lot.

It was night when they stepped out. The air sweltered and they grumbled about the heat, mostly to fill the silence. Gennai led them to a monstrous SUV and they clambered in. "This is Tucson, Arizona," Gennai spoke up as he started the car. He pulled out of the parking lot and the five teens stared out the window, taking in the strange city in silence. This was the first time Tai and Sora had been to America, but none of them had been to this side of the country.

The lights of the city began to thin out and the high-rise buildings gave way to houses. They pulled onto a dark road after driving in silence for a long time. They passed a few houses, but not many. Wide, empty lots of land sat between each of them. When the SUV slowed, everyone turned their eyes to a large two-story house, the windows glowing brightly. Gennai pulled into the driveway that held two other cars.

"_This is it?_" Sora spoke for the first time since they landed.

"_Yes,_" Gennai answered. He looked up at the house with affection in his eyes before climbing out of the car. The five hesitated to follow, but slowly they filed out and followed the man into the house, lugging their suitcases with them.

The house was cool, a relief to the heat outside which Gennai cut off by closing the door behind him. The five stood in the foyer, looking around with weary eyes. There was sound everywhere: music streaming from more then one direction deep inside the house, and the sound of a television yelling incomprehensible words in English.

"_Welcome to my home, children. Follow me." _He ushered them through a door just off of the foyer they had stood in. He didn't automatically close the door. "_If you will give me a moment, I have to go talk to the others._"

"_What others_?" Tai asked, an edge in his voice making him sound paranoid.

"_The other children that live here,_" the older man clarified. "_I have five others who are already here under my care. I need to inform them of your arrival._" With that he shut the door, leaving them in an awkward silence.

"_I don't like this,_" Sora said as she set down her suitcase. She looked around, taking in her surroundings. They stood in an office. A row of bookshelves was inset in the wall, and at the end of the small room a large desk sat covered in papers and books.

"_None of us do,_" Matt replied sourly. He let his duffle bag slide off his shoulder to hit the floor with a thud. The others let their bags fall as well. No one spoke. There was nothing to say. They were scared, but no one could voice that.

The door opened again after a few minutes and Gennai stood in the doorway. "_Come on out, children. The others are waiting to meet you._" They picked up their bags and followed him out of the room. The house was now silent, the music gone and the television turned off. It was eerily quiet. They crossed the small foyer and passed through a large doorway into a silent living room.

The living room was simple; two couches, one with its back to the entranceway, facing the TV at the far end of the room, and a second couch against the front wall under a window looking out into the dark night. The TV was in the opposite corner, and on the far wall a fireplace sat cold and empty. Four people were seated on the furniture, two on each couch. Three girls and a boy. A second boy sat in a wheelchair next to one of the couches. The five watched them as they entered. The five looked like they were all close in age. None of them spoke just sat there waiting.

Finally, Tai broke the silence. "_Hello. My name is Yagami Taichi._" He gestured to Kari, who stood just to his left and then began to go down the line. "_This is my sister Hikari. This is Yamato, his brother Takeru and that's Sora._" No one spoke at first, and Tai glanced at the four other kids as the ones on the couch looked confused. Finally one of the girls, a thin brunette, chuckled lightly, leaving the DigiDestined looking confused. "_What's so funny?_" Tai demanded.

"_You're speaking Japanese._" Her accent was crude, but every word was pronounced clearly and naturally."_They can't speak Japanese. Only me and Gennai can._"

"_You've got to be kidding me,_" Matt growled. She shook her head and the DigiDestined turned and stared at Gennai while the kids on the couch stared at the girl. "You speak English then?" Matt asked in English and the girl and her friends nodded.

The tan-skinned, black haired boy that sat at her side elbowed her to get her attention. "What's going on?"

She shook her head. "It's nothing. He," she pointed to Tai, "just said that his name is Taichi. That's his sister Hikari. That's Yamato and his brother Takeru. And she's Sora." She had gone down the line just like Tai had. She turned back to the DigiDestined and reverted back to Japanese. "_I'm Tera. This is Aaron,_" she gestured to the boy who had elbowed her. "_This is Taylor_," she pointed to a thin blonde on her other side. "That's Natalie," she pointed to the ebony haired girl at the end of the couch. "And that's Elijah." She ended with the boy in the wheelchair.

Matt turned with a glare towards Gennai, "_Why didn't you tell us they couldn't speak Japanese?_"

Gennai grinned. "_You seemed to handle it fine yourselves._"

"_Well, this is America._" They looked back over at Tera, who was speaking again. "_I wouldn't go to Japan with the expectation that everyone should speak English. Can anyone aside from Yamato speak English?_" The rest of them shook their heads. "Oh this will be fine." Her friends looked at her with questioning eyes. "They can't speak English, just Yamato."

"Why don't you take them to get settled in?" Gennai suggested from the entryway.

Aaron nodded and stood. "Tell them to follow us, Tera."

"I'll tell them," Matt replied. He turned to the others. "_They're going to show us upstairs. Bedrooms, I guess._" Tera nodded behind him. The others nodded and Aaron stepped past them. They followed him as Tera and Taylor brought up the rear. Natalie and Elijah remained in the living room, dipping their heads to whisper softly to each other. They followed the tan-skinned boy up the stairs until he reached the top. He turned back to them. "Yamato, you speak English, right?" Matt nodded. "Good, we'll have at least one English interpreter in each room. We're sharing rooms." His tone held annoyance. "You and the other two boys are with me. The girls will follow Tera and Taylor."

"Four to a bedroom?" Matt demanded.

"Hey, we don't like it either." Aaron raised his hands as if to defend himself. "We didn't even know you were coming until tonight."

Matt rolled his eyes and turned to the others. "_Alright, Sora and Kari, follow Tera and the girl._" He gestured to the pair who brought up the rear. "_Tai, TK and me are with Aaron._" They nodded and Aaron went to the left at the top of the stairs while Tera and Taylor went right. There was a door at each end of the landing.

"_Come on,_" Tera called to the two girls as she opened to door at the end and slipped inside. Sora and Kari followed her without a sound and stopped just inside the doorway.

The room was huge. Two bunk beds sat in the two far corners of the room and two desks sat between them. Along the wall over the desks sat wide windows that looked out onto a vast of black skies. Pushed against the same wall as each bunk bed were four dressers, two on each side of the room. The walls were blanketed in posters and pictures, the soft beige of the paint barely peeking out.

"_That's your guys' bunk._" Tera pointed to the left side of the room. "_Those two dressers are yours. There's a spot in the closet for you._" She pointed to a door by Sora and Kari's dressers. She grinned. "_Welcome to our humble abode._" Taylor walked past Tera and sat on the bottom bunk of the other beds. "_You hungry or anything_?"

The pair didn't answer at first, and Tera wasn't sure if they had heard her. They looked scared and small, their eyes traveling the vast room with uncertainty. Finally, Kari looked back at her and with a soft voice that hadn't been used that evening, "_No, we ate on the plane._"

"Cool," Tera replied in English before turned her back to them and joining Taylor on her bunk. "Where'd I put my book?" Taylor, the smaller of the two, held out a book to Tera, who grinned as she took it. "Thanks." Glancing over her shoulder, she smiled softly at Sora and Kari, still standing just inside the doorway. "_You don't have to stand by the door. You look like you're about to make a run for it. Put your stuff down and get comfortable._"

Sora blushed as if chastised and Kari nodded, and they approached the beds Tera had been pointing to. "_Do you mind if I sleep on the bottom? I'd rather stay close to the ground,_" Kari requested softly.

"_No problem,_" the redhead agreed.

"_When you unpack you can put your suitcases in the hall closet, or up in the attic. Our room gets pretty messy, 'specially now that it's four girls sharing one room, so it would be best to get clutter out of the way._"

Kari turned back to Tera with an annoyed look on her face. "_Why bother? We can't be staying here very long. School starts in a month and we'll just be on our way back to Japan._"

Tera didn't look fazed by Kari's attitude, just cocked an eyebrow and leaned back on the bed, supported by her elbows. "_That's not really how it works. You're here until Gennai says you go. You don't know what's going on here, do you?_"

Sora shook her head. "_No. Why? Do you?_"

She sighed. "_I know Gennai is being an ass, dumping you guys here without an explanation to us or to you. He'll explain it all in the morning. Don't worry. It's not so bad here._" She left the pair with that last statement hanging over them. Glancing at each other, the shrugged thin shoulders and started unpacking in silence.

* * *

Tai lay awake for a long time. Sleep didn't seem appealing, although the dark ceiling he had been staring at for hours was starting to become hazy in his tired eyes and sleep tugged at him to give in. Underneath his bunk, Aaron's light breathing was the only sound that filled the static air. On the other side of the room, he knew Matt still lay awake, staring up into the darkness at the bottom of TK's bunk. "_What do you think, Matt?_" he whispered, shattering the darkness with his soft voice and it hurt his ears. 

Silence greeted his question for several seconds. Finally, "_What does it matter?_" he retorted bitterly. Tai could hear his breathing coming in painful gasps, like he was struggling with his body to keep up the action.

Tai turned on his side, his back to Matt's bunk. "_Yeah…I guess you're right,_" he replied sadly. He didn't want to sleep, but Matt didn't seem to want a conversation. Sleep still pulled him, but he knew what lay in wait for him there and he did not want to face it.

On the other side of the room Matt rolled over, and Tai closed his eyes with a sigh. Like Matt said, what did it matter?

* * *

Sounds of crying pulled Kari from a fitful, monster-filled sleep. She opened her burning eyes, silently praying she wasn't the one crying, and awoke to a strange room, glowing in the soft light of a nightlight. She sat up quickly, barely avoiding hitting her head on the top bunk. Panic surged through her entire body as she looked around wildly. This wasn't her aunt's house. 

"_Sorry,_" a voice made her jump, and she caught sight of a thin girl with disheveled brown hair climbing down from the top of a bunk on the other side of the room and her mind cleared. She was at Gennai's. "_Taylor cries at night. Sorry if she woke you._"

Kari rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked over at Taylor, who was tossing and turning in the bottom bunk. She was the one who emitted the childlike sobbing that woke Kari. "_What's wrong?_" she found herself whispering in a tired voice.

"_Nightmares,_" she answered simply before sitting down on the edge of Taylor's bed. She took hold of the other girl's arms and began to gently shake her awake, whispering soothing words in English. Kari sat in her bed for a long time, just watching them. She had no interest in sleep and the bed hurt her back, leaving her entire body stiff. She watched Tera whisper to Taylor, listening to Tera's soft voice while Taylor cried for a long time into Tera's nightshirt. When Taylor seemed calm, Tera lay her back down and stood up. "_You're still awake?_" she asked in surprise, looking at Kari with a drained expression. "_You should probably get some sleep, Hikari._" With slow movements she climbed the ladder to her bed.

"_Call me Kari,_" she whispered as she lay down, turning on her side to look up at Tera. The other girl nodded. "_Does this happen every night?_"

"_Yes._" Tera crawled across her bed and collapsed onto her pillow on top. The bed squeaked at the movement. She stretched and yawned.

"_Why?_"

"_Because no one wants to wake up crying alone,_" Tera whispered softly. Kari didn't say anything in response, but found herself silently agreeing with Tera's words. She wondered about all the times she had woken up alone. "_Good night, Kari_," Tera whispered, voice half lost to sleep already, interrupting Kari's thoughts.

"_Yeah, good night, Tera._" Tera's breathing slowed quickly, like she had fallen asleep the second her head had touched the pillow. Kari noted it sounded labored, but paid it little heed as she thought about her own nightmares. She dreaded another fitful sleep.

* * *

A/N: Make a young author just trying to tell a story some love and review! Heh. Also, special thanks to my beta, Mr. Write1. Go check him out. 


	3. Experiments

**Broken**

_by BoarderKC_

* * *

Matt sat up to the sounds of footsteps. He rubbed a hand through his matted blond hair and through sleep filled eyes he saw a tall, tan skinned boy walk past his bed. In confusion he looked around at the room he had slept in, but he recognized nothing. Rubbing his eyes, he wondered if he was still asleep. Opening his eyes again, he blinked out the haze and finally things began to clear. He was in America, at Gennai's request, and the boy was Aaron.

"Morning, Yamato," Aaron greeted him as he stood by his bed, dressed in boxers and a tee shirt.

Matt nodded in reply as he ran a hand over his bare chest, still not completely awake. "What time is it?" he croaked in a throaty voice. On the other side of the room Aaron was changing.

"9:30," he replied, muffled as his head disappeared into his tee shirt. Matt glanced around, his cobalt eyes in search of a clock. On one of the two desks a digital clocked held illuminated numbers that read 9:30. The tan skinned boy's head popped out of the top hole of his shirt. "Sleep well?"

Matt shrugged. "As good as can be expected." He hated how the sleep still tucked into his voice made his accent stronger and the English to roll off his tongue sloppier.

"I'm heading down to get something to eat. Breakfast isn't special here. You go down when you wake up and pretty much make something for yourself," Aaron explained as he searched the dresser by his bed. Extracting a pair of socks from its confines, he grinned and sat back on his bed. "Join us I you feel like it," he finished as he slipped his socks onto his bare feet.

"Yeah, maybe," Matt shrugged again as he collapsed back on his bed. Aaron left without another word and grumbling about the way the sunlight hit his eyes and how his bed was uncomfortable, Matt forced himself up. Stretching, he felt his back pop and he groaned. He peeked over the edge of the top bunk where TK sweated and tossed as he slept. He looked fevered and pale. "_Damn_," Matt shook his head. "_I bet he didn't take his meds last night._"

He shook his head and glanced at the other bunk where Tai still slept. The other boy was twisted up inside the sheet that had once covered him. He had been tossing and turning all night. He almost felt bad for snapping at his ex-leader last night when the darkness had taken over the room and then silence had been unbearable. But as soon as he had spoken Matt realized that noise was even more intolerable. Matt had his own demons going in his head, he didn't want to hear about Tai's.

Without wanting to bother either of the sleeping boys, he dressed in silence. He rooted through his duffle bag that lay on the floor by his bed. Aaron had suggested they unpack, but Matt didn't plan on staying long.

Creaking made him look up and see TK rising in his bed looking half awake. His blonde hair stuck in every direction and he look like he hadn't slept. "_Hey_," Matt greeted softly to his brother. TK nodded in return as he stretched. "_Did you take your meds last night?_"

A look of annoyance settled over TK's face as he rolled his eyes. "_No, I forgot._"

"_You need to take them._"

"_God, you sound like dad,_" TK complained as he pushed away his blanket and climbed down from the top bunk. He turned on Matt with anger in his ocean blue eyes. "_What does it matter if I take them or not? I'm better, right?_"

"_Gimme a break, TK. It's not up to you. Take the damn drugs like you were told and stay better!_" Matt found himself yelling as he and TK stood inches apart. He wanted to throttle his brother.

"_What's going on_?" The voice startled them both and they jumped apart breathing hard. They looked up to see Tai sitting up in bed attempting to untwist himself from the sheet he was tangled in. He didn't look quite awake yet.

"_None of your business,_" TK barked as he brushed by Matt, knocking him in the shoulder as he went by. He went to his suitcase that lay on the floor beside Matt's duffle bag.

"_Aaron said we can come down and have breakfast anytime we want._" Matt looked at Tai as he spoke, ignoring his brother's presences as he dressed. "_Its not formal or anything. Fend for yourself sort of deal._"

"_Cool,_" Tai replied as he climbed down from his bunk.

"_Well, I'm gonna go get something to eat._" Stuffing his hands in his pockets he turned towards the door as Tai slipped on the ladder and tumbled to the floor. With a yelp of pain, red settled across Tai's cheeks in embarrassment. Uncharacteristically he held out his hand and helped the blushing boy to his feet who muttered a 'thank you.' "_Yeah, don't worry about it._" Turning back toward the door he stopped and looked back at his brother. "_Take your damn medicine before you come down, alright?_" With a sour look from his brother he left the room and started toward the stairs.

Across the landing another door opened and Tera existed dressed in what looked like her pajamas. "_Morning,_" she called to him as they met at the top of the stairs. She had thrown her brown hair into a haphazard ponytail, but strands still fell around her face.

"_Morning,_" he muttered.

"_Kari and Sora are already downstairs. They went down with Taylor like twenty minutes ago._"

He trailed her down the stairs, listening as she spoke in his native language. "_Oh, okay._" He really didn't care, but Tera didn't seem to hear the indifference in his tone. A thought struck him. "_How is it you can speak Japanese? That's really random._"

"_I lived in Japan for a year with my dad._" They reached the foot of the stairs and she led him to a swinging door that sat next to the door Matt recognized as Gennai's office. Inside was a large table, big enough to fit everyone who lived in the house. Natalie, Taylor, and Aaron sat on one side, eating bowls of cereal while Kari and Sora sat on the other side of the table, looking lost and starting at their own cereal.

"Its about time you got down here," Aaron snapped and for a second Matt thought the yelling was directed at himself. "No one can speak Japanese and they can't speak English. You should have come down earlier, Tera." Matt felt relief as he looked down at Tera who was a couple inches shorter at him.

She grinned. "Sorry. I was still in bed. Learn Japanese if your in a huge need for conversation." She turned to Sora and Kari. "_Everything alright?_" They both nodded silently. Tera looked over her shoulder, back at Matt. "_Come on. I'll get you some breakfast._"

She moved around the table, smacking Aaron playfully on the back of the head as she passed him and slipped through a second swinging door on the other side of the room. Matt found himself in a large kitchen, stainless steel everywhere looking clean and shiny. Gennai leaned on the island in the center of the room reading the paper.

"Hiding, Gennai?" Tera asked with laughter in her voice.

He rolled dark brown eyes and set down his paper. "Waiting for the coffee pot to finish thank you very much. Morning Matt."

"Whatever," Matt growled. He looked back at Tera, ignoring the older man. "_Food?_"

Tera grinned at his reaction to Gennai and pointed to a cabinet by the refrigerator. "_We have cereal in there. There are froze waffles in the freezer. And we also have eggs and bread._"

He shook his head. "_Cereal is fine_."

As he made his way over to the cabinet Gennai spoke again, this time in Japanese as if Matt would feel a greater need to speak to him in his native language. "_Is Tai and TK up yet?_"

"_When I left they were getting dressed,_" Matt replied without turning back to the older man. He opened the cabinet to a variety of multicolored boxes. Tera reached around him and pulled one out.

"_That's good. We're going to need to discuss what's happening here soon_," Gennai spoke to his back.

"_Yes, because we're all dying to hear what you have to say, Gennai_," Matt growled sourly as he grabbed a box and turned to face the older man. Gennai didn't look scathed by his words. "_Are you going to feed us something bogus old man?_" Matt growled as the kitchen door swung open revealing Tai and TK. "_Going to feed us some prophesy or shit about life and death? Or are we going to get some straight answers for once?_"

Gennai met his eyes with a calm expression and it unnerved him. "_I will tell you exactly what you need to hear and what you deserve to hear._" Matt scowled at the answer, but Gennai had already turned to Tai and TK in the doorway. "_Can you call Sora and Kari in her for me?_" Tai nodded and called over his shoulder for the girls. "Tera, go eat breakfast and then I'll get your meds, alright?" She nodded and slipped out the swinging door to the dining room as Sora walked in with Kari behind her. When all five of them were in the kitchen watching him he spoke again. "_Do you all have your Digivices?_" Reaching into their pockets they each produced their small Digivices. "_I'm going to take these and upload a program that will allow you to understand English as long as you carry them._"

"_You can do that?_" Tai asked in disbelief.

"_Do you remember how you were able to talk to the DigiDestined from all around the world?_" The DigiDestined nodded. "_You didn't think they all just spoke Japanese, did you?_" No one could respond to the question. "_Your Digivices did that for you. Well, I created the program for your Digivices and I'll need to reinstall it now. Until you can learn English, that is._" He held out his hands and they each allowed him to take their devices. "_I will get that done while you eat breakfast. Go ahead and serve yourselves and then we can get down to the business of the day._" He smiled at them softly before leaving through the swinging door.

Matt glanced at Tai and TK. "_There is cereal in there,_" he explained, gesturing to the cabinet Tera had led him to. "_And then is frozen stuff in the fridge._" Without another word he finished making his breakfast and joined Sora and Kari at the table. Tai and TK joined them within a few minutes and they sat in silence occupying one end of the table while the American kids stayed on the other. The Americans laugh and talked. To them this was normal. To the DigiDestined it was nerve racking and stupid.

Gennai joined them not long after and handed out their Digivices. The DigiDestined stared at the devices, but couldn't find anything different about them. "Can you understand me now?"

"Unfortunately," Matt grumbled.

"So we can-" Sora's voice came out whispery and she paused suddenly in the middle of her sentence. "We can speak English." There was amazement in her voice.

"Yes," Gennai grinned. "It's a quick fix solution. At least until you can learn the language without it. You'll also need to learn to read before school starts."

"Won't we be going back to Japan for school?" TK asked from his seat as he swirled his cereal with his spoon.

"No, you will remain here." All five of them looked ready to argue, but Gennai held up his hands to silence him. "And I will explain it all as soon as you are finished. We will meet in the living room at 10. The others will be joining us." He glanced over at the other five. "So I suggest you get dressed, Tera." She chuckled from her seat. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need my coffee." With that he slipped back into the kitchen and the ten teens were left to their breakfasts.

Chiming echoed through the room and everyone jumped at the sound. Tera sprang from her chair, mumbling a 'crap' as she race from the dining room, tripping over her pajama pants as she went. Her friends laughed at her and got up, gathering their dishes. The DigiDestined followed them, dumping their bowls and silverware in the kitchen before retiring to the living room where a grandfather clock was just finishing its chiming.

Like the night before the Americans all settled onto one of the couches, with Elijah sitting in his chair at the end of it. The DigiDestined sat on the couch they had occupied the night before, Tai, Matt and Sora taking over the seats while TK and Kari settled on the floor. Gennai joined them after a few minutes.

"Where's Tera?" he asked as his warm chocolate eyes settled on the American kids.

"She's getting dressed," Elijah replied as he reached for Natalie's hand, entwining their fingers.

Thundering on the stairs just outside the room made everyone looked to the entrance as Tera came rushing in, a pair of socks clutched between her teeth as she pulled her hair into a ponytail. She grinned cheekily past the socks as Gennai shot her an amused look. "Nice of you to join us."

"Pleasure," she forced out through clenched teeth. She settled on the couch between Aaron and Taylor, just like the night before.

"Alright, let's get started," Gennai began as he clapped his hands together. "It would be best to start with introductions."

"We know who you are," Tai snapped.

Gennai rolled his eyes, "Honestly you don't know a thing. You know what I have told you and that is very little. I am a protector of the DigiDestined, who are the protectors of the Digital World. You know this, but I don't think you understand it. It is my job to ensure that you are able to called upon whenever you are needed."

"Our time is done," Tai argued. "Kari and TK may still need to be called upon, but Matt, Sora and I are finished. Davis, Cody, Yolie and Ken took over for us."

"Do you really think you can ever be done? It is your destiny. It is who you are." Gennai shook his head. "I'm sorry. It is true that you may never be called again, but it is still who you are." He sighed. "And I am getting off track." He looked over at the American kids, settling his eyes on him, but his gaze was distant. "You weren't the only children in the Digital World when you first got pulled away from your summer camp."

"What!" they cried in unison. It made the others jump.

"There were five others. Aaron, Tera, Elijah, Natalie and Taylor." He gestured to the other kids as if he were presenting them for the first time. "The American DigiDestined."

"How is that possible?" Kari asked. Her face looked confused for a second and she moved her tongue in her mouth. English felt weird on her tongue.

"The Digital World," Aaron spoke up. "is a lot like Earth. And like how Japan and America are located on opposite sides of the world, there are landmasses that are located on opposite sides of the Digital World. We were on the other side from you. We fought different battles and met different digimon."

"Fascinating," Matt snapped, voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm sure Wheels over there had a wonderful time getting around there." Elijah glared at him. "But that doesn't explain why we are here."

"You're here because your crests won't glow," Gennai replied. "Something has happened and they won't glow. It is a problem that needs to be fixed."

"How?" TK asked.

"That depends on you. It is something that you will need to face." Beeping suddenly interrupted Gennai and he reached into his pocket, pulling out a device that looked somewhat like a d-terminal. "Damn," he whispered, reading over the small screen. He raised his eyes to the kids watching him. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go check on something." Without waiting he left the room, leaving them in silence.

Kari spoke first, breaking the uncomfortable stillness that had settled in the room. "What is the deal here?" she directed at the American kids. "Is Gennai for real?"

"Gennai just wants your crests to glow again," Aaron spoke up again. "It's the way things work."

"How do you know?" Tai asked.

"Because it worked on us," Elijah answered, leaning forward in his chair.

The Japanese kids exchanged confused glances before Tai spoke again, " What?"

"The American DigiDestined are a little different from the Japanese. We are different from you," Aaron explained. "We…uh…well, we never say a digimon like you guys did."

"Then how did you become DigiDestined? That's how we were all picked." Tai took the lead in the discussion.

However Matt was not quelled by his leaders questions. "How did you know so much about us?" His voice exuded suspicion.

"Through Gennai," Aaron replied. "The way we became DigiDestined was complicated."

"We're not even sure how it worked," Tera spoke up. Aaron glanced at her and she grinned. "What we know," she continued, "is that it really just depended on us. We all come from complicated pasts and somehow we showed characteristics that were needed for the Digital World. We got pre-made crests."

There was a look on Tera's face that made Sora furrow her brow. "It was an experiment."

The others turned to stare at her and Tera nodded. "Between you eight and us it was pretty much an experiment. We got pre-made crests and you saw a digimon."

"You couldn't get the crests to glow?" Tai asked as he leaned forward in his seat.

"No, we couldn't," Tera answered. "While we were strong in whatever symbol we were given, it wasn't enough. We didn't feel it."

"They didn't shine until we came here," Aaron spoke up after her. "That was a year or two after our adventures. We lived in the Digital World over a period of two years, but our digimon never went ultimate. That's why you had to fight four Dark Masters. Originally it was our duty to fight Seadramon while you fought Machinedramon. Puppetmon was for whoever got to him first and we were supposed to team up against Piedmon." He sighed and glanced at Tera and Taylor at his side. Tera's gaze looked far-off while her hand was wrapped around Taylor's. "There was no way we could have fought. We could never have helped you guys."

"Why didn't you just realize that you had it in yourselves?" Matt questioned, looking annoyed. "The same thing happened to me and Sora."

"Well, you had each other," Natalie's voice sounded like the answer should have been obvious. "You had each other to fall back on. We didn't. We didn't trust each other, we had no passion. We didn't care."

"And then we came back." Elijah's hand tightened on Natalie's as he answered. "Gennai let us loose to the lives we had before and well…" He glanced at Tera and she met his eyes. "Things got worse." Turning back to the Japanese kids. "We lost touch of each other and fell apart."

"What do you mean?" Tai asked.

"We got in trouble and fell into depression. We were killing ourselves. So we came here."

Footsteps echoed into the room and Gennai appeared in the doorway just as Matt felt himself lose control. "This is bullshit!" he barked. Taylor jumped at Tera's side. "I don't need some god forsaken cure."

"Come on, Matt," Tai sighed and Matt whipped his gaze toward the other boy.

"No, you come on, Tai! No one is listening to us! They expect us to save the world and bow to their whims. We didn't want to come here! No one is answering our questions! And then there is Gennai." He turned to the older man who remained in the doorway, his ocean blue eyes on fire with rage. He stood from the couch, rising to be nearly as tall as the other man, staring him directly in the eye. "The mythical being of the Digital World. Here to be our all mighty cure. You are more full of crap then anyone else." He brushed past Gennai briskly, leaving an icy silence in his wake.

Sora and Tai shared concern glances as TK watched the doorway from the floor, his eyes trailing after his brother. "Tai, go talk to him," Sora pleaded.

"I will," he nodded before looking at Gennai. "What else do we need to know?"

Gennai gaze was still calm as he entered the room. "This is a household and there are rules, just like any other household. There are rules, you will have responsibilities. You will start school in the fall. You will be expected to maintain your grades. No ditching, no fighting. Also there are a few major things you need to remember. This is your home from now on. There will be no alcohol and no drugs in this house. I have a three strike policy. Three strikes and I will find a better suited place for you."

"A better suited place?" Kari asked, brow creased.

"Depends on what kind of help you need," Gennai answered. "But more then anything you need to know that if that happens I will have to take away your Digivice and your crest. And for its own good, I will have to delete your digimon. If your crest can't glow then there is a good chance your digimon can be corrupted and for their sake I would prefer to delete them. "

"And that's it?" Tai questioned looking from Gennai to Aaron and the other four kids. "Crests glow and we go home?" Gennai nodded and Tai pushed himself off of the couch. "I'll go talk to Matt," he directed at Sora before leaving the room.

Gennai looked at the remaining DigiDestined. "Making your crests glow is not as easy as it sounds. You have to realize what made it stop glowing. The problem isn't always obvious.

TK, Kari and Sora all nodded in understanding, looking sick.

* * *

Tai jogged up the stairs and into the room that he begrudgingly would be calling his own. He slipped inside the large bedroom, breathing hard with the realization that he had no idea when he would see Japan again. Inside Tai's blonde haired second in command was storming around, gathering his sleeping clothes into his forest green duffle.

"Matt." The other boy ignored him as he zipped the bag and heft it onto his shoulder. "Matt," he tried again, keeping his voice even.

Matt moved toward the door, but Tai stuck out his arm, blocking him from leaving. "Get out of my way, Tai!" he barked.

"Matt, listening to me." Matt stopped, his teeth clenched together as he rolled his eyes, refusing to meet Tai's. "If you walk out that door you are no longer a DigiDestined. That means you are not apart of this group. You cannot fight and you don't have us to fall back on."

Matt moved his eyes back to Tai, glaring fiercely at him. "Is that your order?"

Tai felt his stomach lurch painfully. "I don't order anymore. This is Gennai's."

"Well fuck him!" Matt attempted to push past Tai's arm, but the brunette boy knocked him back.

"If you leave Gabumon will be deleted!" Matt froze and stared at him. "If you walk out Gennai will delete Gabumon because otherwise he can become corrupted. He will have no partner if you walk out." Anger flashed through Matt's eyes and unexpectedly the bag fell from his hands and he shoved Tai against the closed door. Tai grunted in pain as his head connected with the wood. "Where would you go anyway?" he forced out as Matt's hands tightened on the collar of his shirt. "Your parents sent you here! There's nothing left in Japan. Might as well stay here, with your friends."

Matt released him, turning away with reluctance in his eyes. He was seething, feeling his insides burn with anger. "You're not my friends…" Picking up his bag, he tossed it back on his bed. "But there's no where else."

* * *

A/N: As per usual make this young writer happy and please review! 


	4. Settling

A/N: I want to apologize for taking this down and then taking forever to continue the rewrite. I spent the last six months working for Disney World and although I loved it, they ran me ragged and all of my writing suffered. And then to top it off me and my beta forgot about it. Forgive me please. Please enjoy and review.

Broken

by BoarderKC

Someone was screaming. Someone was always screaming. When he closed his eyes he heard her, wailing; eternally wailing him in and out of sleep. It would rip him from consciousness when he felt it pierce his skin, but it would thrust him back, pushing him away from numbness and in his horror he would wake up whole.

But for now there was just the scream and he was running. There was yelling; there was sobbing, but he couldn't match voices. Darkness clouded his vision and he stumbled over a footstool as he ran blindly. It took half a second to regain his footing. His mind was screaming at him, barking orders, 'just run, just run.' He was running for the front door as gunshots echoed behind him and a wailing grew from the closet by the door. He paused for a fraction of a moment, listening to the silence that had smothered the life of noise after the gunshots, but footsteps made him pale and in a hurry he threw open the closet door.

A figure huddled in the back corner. She looked at him, shaking; already pleading as her big brown eyes filled with tears, but not with understanding. They both froze, acknowledging each other's confusion, but he knew better then to wait and he grabbed her wrist, yanking her from the floor. 'Just run, just run…' His legs moved, driven by some unknown force that fed him energy despite waking only moments ago. The crying of his sister refused to cease as he dragged her. They ran. A scream echoed, ripping through his ears and suddenly he was sitting up in bed, choking on nothing.

He whipped around, eyes adjusting to a brightly lit room that burned his irises and sweat made his clothes cling to his body. It was a dream. Bile rose in his throat, his stomach rolling. Unable to contain himself, he threw himself from his bed, stumbling down the small wood ladder and ran to the bathroom down the hall where he emptied the contents of his stomach into the toilet. A headache started behind his temples as he fell away from the bowl, gasping for air that never seemed to come.

A knock on the bathroom door made him jump. Aaron's voice sounded from outside the door, but his words, muffled by wood were incomprehensible. "_Hold on,_" he called as he flushed the toilet and stumbled to the door. Aaron stood on the other side holding out his Digivice. Grasping it, he waited a moment before, "Thanks. What did you say before?" His voice was thick with sleep and raspy from the taste of sick in his mouth.

"You're welcome," the Mexican boy nodded. "You should tie that thing around your neck or something. Never know when I'll be needing conversation." He grinned but there was concern in his eyes that the smile didn't match. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He rubbed his forehead with his freehand, trying to work away the headache. "What time is it?"

"Nine fifteen."

Opening heavy eyes, Tai looked at Aaron for the first time that morning. "What's with the getup?" he laughed as he eyed the green and gray uniform the other boy was dressed in. He stood in a green shirt that had Oakland A's written in yellow letters across the front. It was tucked into gray pants that stopped just below his knees. Green knee-high socks covered his ankles that disappeared into black cleats.

"I play baseball. This is my uniform." He stepped back from the doorway to allow Tai to step back, his cleats sounding sharp against the wood floor. "Nightmares?" he asked as they began to walk back to the bedroom they shared. Inside Matt and TK were still asleep.

"Yeah, but I'm alright," Tai replied, offense in his voice.

Aaron shrugged and moved to his bed where a green cap was thrown. "Never said you weren't, man." He pulled on the cap and turned back to Tai as the other boy went to the closet.

"You have a game or something?" Tai asked as he grabbed a tee shirt from one of the hangers on his part of the closet.

"Yeah," Aaron's voice called from outside the closet. He spoke low as not to disturbed the sleeping boys. "You ever been to a baseball game? Do they have baseball in Japan?"

Shedding his boxers, Tai felt himself sneer. "Yes, stupid. They have baseball in Japan. There is a huge following of it." He dressed as he spoke.

"Dude, sorry. I don't pride myself in excessive knowledge of Japan. I'm just one more uneducated American." His footsteps echoed around the room, the sharp beat of his cleats breaking the morning silence as Tai finished dressing. "Are you into sports?" he asked as Tai slipped his Digivice into the pocket of his shorts and emerged from the closet.

"Yeah, I played soccer," he answered, his voice pained. "I haven't played in a long time though."

There was a knock at the door and Aaron went to answer it. Tera stood on the other side. "Almost ready?"

"Yeah, I'm just getting my stuff into my bag. I'll meet you downstairs."

"Alright." She looked over his shoulder, catching sight of Tai as he searched for the pair of socks he had been wearing the day before. "Morning Tai."

"Morning," he called back as he found his socks. Tera disappeared from the door and Aaron went to the closet. "Tera's going?"

"Yeah, she's a pretty big baseball freak." He reached just inside the door and picked up a large sports bag. "She plays softball when she can and she helps out a lot with the league. She's going to be working at the snack bar for some cash." He draped the bag over his shoulder. "She never misses any of my games." He started towards the door then paused. "Hey do you want to go to the park with us?"

Tai looked up at him, "What?"

"Do. You." He pointed at Tai, tone dripping with sarcasm. "Want. To. Go." He pointed to the door. "To. My." He pointed to his chest and Tai rolled his eyes. "Game," he finished with a self satisfied look on his face.

"Are you done?" He nodded, the smirk still on his face. "Sure, why not?"

Aaron grinned and clapped Tai playfully on the back. "That's the spirit. Hey, don't sounds so excited!" He laughed as he adjusted the bag on his shoulder. "You can hang out with Tera and maybe make some money in the snack bar."

Tai followed him to the door. "Will Tera mind?"

"I don't see why she would." Tai followed him down the stairs. They walked into the living room where Tera was laying on the couch with her head in Natalie's lap. They were talking quietly, giggling at something that the boys had missed as Natalie affectionately ran her hand through Tera's deep brown hair. "Hey Natalie," Aaron greeted.

"Hi Aaron," she smiled. "How are you this morning?" Her fingers twisted up in Tera's hair.

"I'm fine. Are you coming to my game or just gonna drop us off?"

"Oh she doesn't care about baseball," Tera laughed. "She's too good for such a dirty sport. Might get her nails dirty." She giggled and with a look of feign annoyance Natalie pinched her side. "Ow!" Tera cried out, laughing harder.

"I'm just dropping you off," Natalie answered as she pushed Tera off her lap and the young girl tumbled to the floor. "I have to go do some volunteer work downtown. Otherwise I'd stick around."

"Are you coming, Tai?" Tera asked from the floor. He nodded. "Cool."

Natalie stood. "Come on, guys. I've got to get downtown. Are you ready?" Aaron and Tera nodded and Tai shrugged. "Okay, come on." They followed her out of the front door and to a small and ugly green car. Aaron and Tai took the backseat as the girls took the front.

Tai stared out the window, his forehead pressed against the burning glass. This was the first time he had ventured out of the house since arriving in America. It had been a week stuck in the confines of the house with the four ghosts of people he had once called his friends and the Americans who he didn't fit in with. And now he watched the houses they passed, though few and far between and in the distance he could see high rising buildings and smog.

At his side Aaron was talking to Natalie and Tera, something about baseball or something. Tai wasn't listening. He was tired. The nights of interrupted sleep was wearing on him and the memories of Japan clouded his mind with emotion he couldn't of handled before everything had happened. Now he was like a zombie with those emotions rendering him useless.

The car stopped and Tai looked up. They had entered the parking lot of a park, specifically of a baseball field. Kids and parents were running around in the hot morning sun, multiple uniforms moving around in the sea of people.

Aaron got out and Tera started talking to Natalie as she unhooked her seatbelt. "Pick us up at three, kay?"

"Sure," Natalie agreed, before her voice was cut off by Tai slamming the door shut. He followed Aaron off of the asphalt parking lot and onto the red dirt covered earth that surrounded the ball field. It clung to his shoes instantly.

Tai studied the area. On the field a game was getting ready to start, a red team called the Cardinals on one side of the field while a turquoise team called the Marlins were on the other. The boys looked about ten.

"When's your game?" Tai asked to the other boy as they followed Tera to a small white painted building just off to the left of the field. "No one here is your age."

"Oh, my game isn't for another hour and a half. I umpire for the ten and under games. Here, Tera." He held out the sports bag he was carrying and she took it from him. "I'm gonna go check in." He shot Tai a grin. "You'll be stuck with Tera. I'll check you guys later." He turned and jogged toward the field and Tai turned to Tera.

"Come on, Tai. We're gonna be working in the snack bar." She started heading toward the white building again with Tai trailing her. "We get the best seats in the park."

"Why is that?" He coughed as they walked through a cloud of smoke rising from a barbeque pressed against the side of the building Tera was walking towards.

She grinned as she opened the black screen door and gestured him inside. "Because its air conditioned." He couldn't resist laughing as they slipped inside and Tera let the metal screen door slam shut behind them.

The building, more like one room, was cool inside. It smelled of soda and hamburgers and a hundred other sweet things that made Tai's stomach ache from not eating breakfast that morning. The air hummed with the sound of an air conditioner. A tall woman with long blonde hair greeted them as she scooped ice into a plastic cup. "Morning Tera."

"Good morning, Mrs. Frye," Tera greeted back. "This is Tai. He's gonna help me out this afternoon."

The woman looked him over and smiled wide. "Hello Tai. Great of you to join Tera. The more help the better really. I'm Cathy Frye."

"Nice to meet you," Tai replied politely.

"Well, Tera I have to get to a board meeting for the league so I'm going to let you and Tai just work the snack bar for the afternoon. Daniel will be working the barbeque so that you won't have to." As she spoke she filled the plastic cup she was holding with soda.

"Don't worry, I can handle it."

"I know you can," the woman replied as she took a drink from the soda and glanced at her watch. "Okay, I have to go, but if you have any problems just give me a call." She walked passed them, to the door as she spoke, gathering a purse from a hook by the door. "I will see you in a bit." She slipped out leaving Tai and Tera alone.

"Who was that?" Tai asked, curiously.

"That's the league president. She handles pretty much everything." Tera moved to the windows and pulled it open. "Now we're open for business. Here, you can sit here." She pulled up a stool up to the window before moving to the second window to open it.

"How come you do this?" Tai asked as he sat down on the stool.

"Do what?" Tera replied as she poked her head out the window.

"Get up early and sit in the heat?" Tai groaned pessimistically.

Tera returned from outside of the window and laughed. "Its not that bad here. Its air conditioned and we get lunch free and we get paid." She glanced out the window again and Tai followed her gaze toward the field where Aaron, dressed in a black mask and pads stood behind the plate. "And Aaron and I both get to play ball for free."

People were starting to congregate toward the snack bar and Tera seemed to go on alert as a swarm of kids lined up and began to demand candy. It didn't take long to realize that Tai was mostly useless at the window, having no experience with American money and for forty-five minutes ran around the small space of the bar, gathering items as Tera took and gave money. Every once and a while a young man, looking a year older then himself would walk in with a burger or two to stick under a heat lamp. During slow periods Tera explained the currency to him.

He handed off a soda to a cute blonde girl who smiled sheepishly through the window. A blush tinted her cheeks as their hands brushed and he chuckled uncomfortably. She gave him a quick wave before walking off quickly to a small group of girls who all looked about a year younger then him. They began talking and giggling furiously.

"That was so cute I could have gagged," Tera laughed sarcastically from behind him.

Tai glared at her. A blush mixed into it and she laughed harder. "Shut up." Throughout the morning he had become accustomed to Tera and her good-natured ribbing. "I don't even know her."

"Doesn't mean she didn't have a hot ass." They both turned to the voice to see Aaron coming in the snack bar door, carrying the umpiring equipment under his arm. He was laughing as Tera shot him a look of disdain before getting off her stool to fetch a cup of water for the sweating, red faced boy.

"Here." She thrust the cup into his hands and took the ump gear. "You're gonna end up too dehydrated to pitch and you're gonna pass out and then I am going to have to leave your ass here because I don't want drag you to the car."

He finished off the water in three big gulps and she took it to fill once more. "I'll be fine, mother," he retorted with an eye roll.

She pushed the water at him harder and it splashed onto his uniform. "Whatever, jerk." With a grin he finished it off in a couple gulps once more.

"Thank you, is that better?" He grinned and she glared as he wrapped an arm around her waist to kiss her lightly on the cheek just as the screen door opened. His arm still entrapping the girl, he turned to Tai. "Hey man, how's it going in here?"

Tai shrugged. "Not bad. She's," he gestured to Tera, "is quite a test on one's patience though."

"Ew, you smell and you're sweaty. Its gross!" she giggled as she pushed him away and Tai laughed at the sight of them.

"Hey." A deep voice made them all jump as they realized they weren't alone. Tera and Aaron sprang apart and in the doorway stood Daniel, the boy who had been manning the grill. He stared at them with a sour look as he held a tray of steaming burgers. "Either get to work or I'll tell my mom your slacking off."

Tai noted Tera didn't look at him while Aaron had gave in exasperated sigh. He had noticed it earlier, how she tensed when the boy came in and how they refused to interact. "Fuck, Danny, there isn't even a line." Aaron turned away, growling low in his throat as he moved to retrieve his sports bag and glanced at Tera. "Hey, I gotta go. My team is getting ready to play." She nodded and handed a water bottle off to him before brushing past the other boy with a glare.

When Daniel was gone, having left the tray, Tai turned to Tera confusion on his face. "What the hell was that?"

"He's just a bastard," she replied quietly. He frowned, annoyed his question wasn't answered and opened him mouth to inquire further, but the door opened again, cutting him off.

A woman dressed in a black baseball jersey walked in as she pushed bright red hair into a ponytail. "Afternoon Tera. Your shift is over. I'm here to take over for you."

"Oh thanks, Mrs. Stills," she replied. She looked back at Tai. "Are you hungry? We can grab some food before we go."

She directed him around the small room, taking burgers, fries, sodas and at the other woman's insistence, a pound of candy before they left the snack bar, arms packed. Daniel stood by the door, at the barbeque again, but Tera ignored him and quickened her pace to the bleachers. Tai hesitated for a split second, casting a look toward the sweating boy whose eyes remained affixed on Tera's retreating form before glancing at Tai with a sneer. "Tai," Tera stopped to call back for him. She looked back intently. "Come on, we'll get a seat before the game starts." With a nod, he turned away from Daniel and Tera began moving toward a large set of bleachers again. "We can sit up here," she called to Tai as they climbed up the bleachers and sat. "The game is going to start soon."

They settled with their lunches between them and as they began to eat Tai wanted to ask about Daniel. The boy unnerved him and undoubtedly he unnerved Tera. He wanted to go into leader mode and fix a problem that wasn't his. A pit settled in his empty stomach and violently he shoved as much of his burger into his mouth. Tera laughed, interpreting the gesture wrong, but he didn't correct her.

The game started with Aaron pitching and Tai watched with vague interest. Tera prodded Tai into stiff conversation, forcing him to speak about nothing. The conversation was distracted on both ends, though as they both kept an eye on the game. Tai had never really cared for baseball, but it was interesting now as Tera commentated and cheered while Aaron pitched.

When the game ended the pair abandoned their seats and headed for the dug outs where Aaron was gathering his things and talking to teammates. He looked cocky in his uniform, surrounded by other boys with his bag hanging off his shoulder. Tera beckoned Tai away from the dugout and into the shade of the snack bar's awning and Tai felt relief flood over him. He hadn't realized how hot it was until they had retreated from the sun.

"Aaron will be out soon and Natalie will be picking us up eventually. About twenty minutes," she clarified as she leaned on the snack bar wall, arms crossed across her chest.

"Tera!" The pair both looked up at the sound of Tera's name and Tai could see the blonde woman from the snack bar, Mrs. Frye calling to his companion.

"Oh, I'll be right back Tai."

She pushed herself off the snack bar and left him standing alone, feeling awkward and alone as a crowd of uniformed boys approached the snack bar. Aaron still stood in the middle of the pack of boys and Tai hung back. He didn't know how to react to the swell of boys who may have been his age, but they were completely foreign. Out of the corner of his eye, Aaron glanced at the Japanese boy, but continued to wait in line with his teammates without a word to him. It made him angry, being ignored after the other boy had made such a fuss about him coming. With a huff, he jammed his hands into his pockets and turned away, walking toward an empty playground that sat a few yards behind the snack bar.

The warm metal seared through his shorts as he took a seat on an empty swing and stared blankly at the green field and people before him. So far this had proved to be an interesting morning. Forced out at the hands of Tera and Aaron, two people who remain unknowns for him and yet forced him to enjoy himself in spite of the swirl of complication in his head. Not even his closets friends had achieved that in months.

"Hey," a low voice greeted from above him and Tai tensed ready for a fight. It was instinctive, brought on by a lifetime of fighting battles, to ready himself at the slightest sound. Swinging his eyes upwards he was brought to the sight of the black haired boy who had been working the grill at the snack bar. He towered over Tai as he sat in the swing, but despite instinct, he didn't stand. "Who are you?" the boy asked with accusation in his voice.

Tai didn't like the tone. "None of your business. Who are you?" he growled back and Daniel's eyes narrowed and his lip curled into a snarl.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" the boy demanded and as an after thought, "What's wrong with the way you talk?"

"What? There's nothing wrong with the way I talk?" Tai listened to the words coming out of his mouth, but they sounded normal.

"You sound like a retard." Tai rolled his eyes at the barbs the boy was throwing at him. He turned his head to ignore him, he didn't need the bullshit. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" A truck collided with the side of his face and Tai flew backwards and landed in the sand behind him. Tiny grains crept into every inch of his clothes, scraping his skin and making him itch as stars danced across his eyes. It took a minute for them to clear and when they did he was staring up at a bright blue sky. "I was talking to you, you retard." Tai groaned as he pushed himself to sit up, feeling sand stick to his face and fall from his gigantic hair. "Why are you hanging out with Tera?"

"What?" Tai demanded in a painful groan.

Sand was kicked into his face and he coughed. "Retard, why are you hanging out with Tera?"

Tai pushed himself to his feet, sand falling from every inch of his body. "What does Tera have to do with you beating me up, asshole?"

"Tai!" A new voice shouted his name and both boys looked up to see Aaron running toward them. The Mexican boy, still dressed in his baseball uniform and sweat dripping from his brow, came sliding to a halt at Tai's side. "Hey guys," he breathed hard. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, dipshit," Danny barked. "I was talking to your friend here. So leave, Aaron."

"Well sorry to interrupt, but our ride is here. We gotta go," Aaron replied coolly, unaffected by the insult. Tai brushed dirt from his hair. Aaron grabbed his elbow lightly to pull him toward the parking lot. "Let's go, Natalie is here. She wants to go." Tai gave a nod, still trying to work the sand out of his clothes.

Danny looked even more pissed off and his voice lowered to a dangerous tone. "Why can't you keep to your own business, Aaron?"

Aaron glared back at him. "Why can't you stay out of Tera's?" he replied before tugging Tai away, leaving the other boy glaring at their backs.

Still shaking sand from his hair, Tai pulled his arm from Aaron's hand. "Why did I just get beaten up because of Tera?"

"Well, because of me and Tera." Aaron laughed as they walked towards Natalie's sputtering car sitting in the parking lot with Tera in the front seat. "Honestly, we can't take you out anywhere." He grinned cheekily when Tai looked even more confused before quickening his pace to get into the car.

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Tai stared at the twenty dollar bill in his hand. Tera had given it to him when they had gotten back to the house that afternoon, saying that was for helping out today. He wondered how many more hours in that tiny little room it would take until he had enough to get himself back to Japan. With a sigh and a mental slap for thinking about a home that no longer existed, he slipped the note into the back of one of his drawers before turning to the window. Night had fallen and in the darkness of the country, stars twinkled brightly in the thick blackness of the sky. Leaning out the open window, he breathed in the warm air, letting it warm him from the inside.

"Hey." The voice caught him by surprise and as he jumped his head slammed into the windowsill, causing him to curse as he pulled back into the room. No one was in the room with him and as he rubbed the growing knot on the top of his head, he wondered if he had officially lost it. "Tai, out here." Fighting a feeling of silliness, Tai stuck his head out the window again and looked up. Over the edge of the roof Aaron stared down, grinning. "Didn't think you'd be that jumpy. Might want to work on those nerves of steel."

Tai rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the suggestion. What are you doing up there?"

"I was bored. Didn't feel like watching TV and wanted to clear my head a little. Come on up." He offered his hand and Tai took it as he hauled himself onto the roof.

"Thanks," he mumbled as he settled himself down. Underneath his hands he felt dirt from the roof and he wiped his palms on his short as he observed his surrounding. They were pretty high and in the distance he could see the lit city and even further behind it dark mountains. "It's nice here," he noted as words failed him.

"Yeah," Aaron agreed, not quite looking at him. "I think that's why Gennai has us out here. It's nice and quiet." Aaron turned to look at Tai. "Life's cool here." Tai couldn't find a reason to argue, instead just turned back to the landscape below him. In the darkness of the backyard he studied the ground below and noted trees and a swing set, but no fence. Nor could he see a house close by to be a neighbor. Natalie and Elijah were down below, talking as Natalie sat on one of the swings. Tai could see one of Natalie's small hand wrapped in Elijah's.

"Are they dating?" he asked quietly, still watching the pair down below.

Aaron followed his gaze downward. "Natalie and Eli? Yeah, for almost three months now." He chuckled. "It drives Gennai crazy."

Tai looked at him in confusion. "Why?"

"I don't think he particularly like the idea of inter-house dating. If anything were to happen with them, whose to say our home would still be their sanctuary," Aaron explained as he leaned forward to get a better look at the two below. "That and Gennai's a prude," he added with laughter in his voice. Tai couldn't help but laugh as well.

They fell into silence for a moment before Tai spoke. "Do I speak weird?" he asked suddenly, turning his head to the other boy.

Aaron's brow knitted. "What?"

"Do I talk weird?" Tai repeated, slower this time. "That guy Daniel said I talked weird. I don't hear it."

"Oh, of course you don't hear it, you have your digivice. English isn't your native language, man. When you speak your tongue stumbles over your accent."

"It does?" Aaron nodded. "Oh, I guess I will have to learn English on my own."

Aaron nodded again. "Probably. I mean, if your forgot your 'vice on day, you'd be screwed."

"I know," the brunette agreed. "What was with the asshole anyway? He's a freak."

Aaron's lip curled. "Yeah, he really is," Aaron replied sourly. "He's Tera's ex. He gets jealous. He hates me and now that you are hanging out with her, you're a threat. I'd watch weird you step if you come back to the field again. Although, good job at not letting him get to you."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he got you pretty good across the face, but you kept your cool. Any other guy might have lost his head."

"Oh." Tai replied as he sat back. If only the boy knew the truth, he probably wouldn't be congratulating him. In the backyard down below, light flooded the small area and Tai could see Elijah and Natalie nodding at whoever had opened the backdoor. When the light disappeared, Elijah looked upward.

"Aaron, Tai. Dinner's ready. Let's go."

"Alright," Aaron called back, rising to his feet and stretching. "Come on, Tai. Dinner's ready."

"Yeah, I'll be in in a minute," he replied, pulling his legs in so Aaron could get by. Aaron didn't question his hesitance, just nodded and walked toward the edge of the roof. "Hey, Aaron," Tai called. Aaron stopped and turned back to him. "What did you come up here to clear your head about?"

Aaron shrugged, but in the darkness of the night all Tai could see was a movement of shadow. "Just my nightly therapy. It's better to end the night with a clear head, I find. And in my head, it's a hard feat."

Tai nodded, but not in understanding. He just nodded before turning his eyes skyward. "I'll be in in a minute," he repeated. Aaron nodded in the darkness and dropped off the side of the roof. Tai didn't move from his position. Sitting back, he looked around, gazing at the dark landscape before him. It wasn't like this in Odiaba. In Odiaba it was always bright and the stars barely shown through. His stomach heaved and he felt sick. The only place he saw stars like this was the DigiWorld.

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